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Nominations for the 2019 SACSA Awards and Recognition process are now open. All nominations and recommendations are due by Friday, September 6, 2019.

The SACSA Awards Nomination process requires the following:

A completed nomination form for the person being recommended for consideration for the award. Due by September 6, 2019.

Two completed recommendation forms from people who can speak to reason(s) the person deserves this award. Due by September 6, 2019.

A resume, Chronology of SACSA involvement, and High-Quality Photograph from the person being recommended for consideration for the award.

Please note that once completed, the nomination form will automatically send notifications to Recognition & Awards Chair. Each recommender will receive an email notification to submit a recommendation letter no later than September 6, 2019.Once the call for nominations has closed, award nominees will be contacted by the Chairperson of the Awards and Recognition Committee and asked to submit their resume, chronology of SACSA involvement, and a high-quality photograph.

The following awards have a separate nomination and award process. Please click each award below to learn more:

Any unique and outstanding contribution to student personnel work that calls for acceptance and acknowledgement throughout the profession.

The Howard Davis Sr. Award

The Howard Davis Sr. Award recognizes outstanding service rendered to SACSA by a member of the Association. Recognition will be for achievements in one or more of the following areas:

Performance of duty above the expected.

Completion of a service to the Association that reflected faithful and competent achievement.

Development of new programs or concepts with a positive impact upon the Association.

The Bobby E. Leach Award

The Bobby E. Leach Award recognizes a student affairs professional or graduate student who has contributed significantly to the development of multicultural relations on a college or university campus. Criteria are as follows:

Currently active in SACSA (one year minimum membership).

Must have been significantly involved at least two years in efforts, which have contributed to improvement of multicultural relations on his/her campus.

The Mid-Level Professional Award

The Mid-Level Professional Award recognizes a mid-level professional who has provided exemplary service to SACSA and on a college or university campus. Criteria are as follows:

Minimum of six years of full-time professional experience supervising, maintaining budgets, and/or programming in a higher education setting.

Current membership for a minimum of three full years and active involvement in SACSA.

Demonstrated service to the profession and his/her institution (e.g., presented a paper or workshop locally or at a state, regional, or national conference, conducted research, mentored graduate students and new professionals, campus committee involvement, and professional association involvement)

Attended at least three SACSA affiliated professional development conferences, workshops, or activities.

Possess outstanding character and potential role model stature for new and other mid-level professionals.

The New Professional Award

The New Professional Award recognizes a new professional who has provided exemplary service to SACSA. Criteria are as follows:

No more than five years of full-time experience in student affairs.

Current membership for at least one full year and active involvement in SACSA.

Demonstrated service to the profession (e.g., presented a paper, workshop, conducted research, demonstrated leadership) and promise shown for becoming a leader in the field.

Attended at least two SACSA affiliated professional development conference, workshops, or activities.

Possess outstanding character and potential role model stature for other new professionals.

The Outstanding Graduate Student Award

The Outstanding Graduate Student Award recognizes a graduate student for their academic achievement, campus involvement and potential for significant contributions to the Student Affairs profession. Criteria are as follows:

Enrolled as a full-time student pursuing masters or doctoral work in a Student Affairs-related degree program, with intention of pursuing a career within Student Affairs.

Demonstrated academic achievement.

Active involvement and leadership roles in campus activities and organizations.

Possess a paraprofessional or intern-related position within the Student Affairs Division.

The Joe Buck Service Award

The Joe Buck Service Award recognizes the long-term membership and service of Dr. Joseph A. Buck, Vice President for Student Affairs at Armstrong Atlantic State University to the Southern Association for College Student Affairs. Dr. Buck currently serves as SACSA's inaugural Executive Director, a position for which he has volunteered since 2001. Prior to this role, Dr. Joe Buck has served SACSA with distinction since 1973. His accomplishments include:

SACSA Scholar, 2003, 2002

Local Arrangements Chair, 2000, 1990, 1980

SACSA Foundation participant.

H. Howard Davis, Sr. Award Recipient, 1988

SACSA President, 1984-1985

SACSA Historian, 1976, 1975

Chair, By-Laws Committee, 1987, 1986

Chair, State of Georgia, Sexual Harassment Task Force. 1988, 1987

Chair, Consultative Services Program, 1977, 1976

The Joe Buck Service Award shall be presented to a dependable and dedicated SACSA member who has demonstrated exceptional commitment to the Association. Criteria are as follows:

Minimum of five years of SACSA membership.

Demonstrated record of committee service and/or leadership.

Has not served as an elected officer.

Has not received prior award recognition from SACSA.

Viewed by SACSA colleagues as a role model, mentor, and unsung hero of the Association.

Ted K. Miller Award for Excellence

CAS established the Ted K. Miller Award for Excellence to recognize outstanding accomplishments in advancing standards of practice and quality assurance in educational programs and services in higher education. The enhancement of student learning and development remains at the very core of the mission of the Council for the Advancement of Standards. The Ted K. Miller Award is presented by CAS member associations to an individual based on the following criteria:

Outstanding leadership or creative initiative are exhibited in the promotion of standards in higher education, and/or in the field of student learning and development.

Significant publications and/or other professional activities have been accomplished in the field of standards, their application, and relevant assessment of student learning and development.

CAS standards are reflected and the goals of CAS are promoted in publications and in facilitated assessment activities, and are significantly included in their work and/or through professional activities.

The Dissertation of the Year

The Southern Association for College Student Affairs (SACSA) annually presents a Dissertation of the Year Award (DOY) to recognize high quality research by doctoral students in student affairs in the SACSA region. The Dissertation of the Year Award is presented to an individual with who meets the following qualifications:

Dissertations must be completed and signed between July 1, 2017 and June 30, 2018.

Applicants must self-nominate with a supporting letter from his/her/their dissertation chair.

Applicants are required to be SACSA members at the time of submitting the application.

The applicant’s doctoral granting institution or institution of employment as of Fall 2017 must be located in the SACSA region (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia).

The dissertation must advance inquiry related to the field of student affairs.

The strongest applications will demonstrate evidence of one or more of the following attributes:

A timely, trending, or cutting-edge topic that advances discourse about the field of student affairs.

A topic that addresses issues particularly seminal to institutions, faculty, administrators, and/or students representative of the SACSA region.

A significant, unique, or innovative theoretical contribution to the field of student affairs.

A cohesive, well-reasoned, and rigorous methodological approach to empirically examining the question at hand.

Alignment with at least one of SACSA’s core values: inclusiveness, professionalism, collegiality.

The Dissertation of the Year nomination and award process is separate from all other awards. Please visit the Dissertation of the Year page to learn more about the 2018 nomination and award processes.

DOY submissions are due no later than August 16, 2019 at 11:59 p.m. CDT.

Research Grant Awards

SACSA encourages scholarly inquiry among its membership by annually awarding small grants to advance proposed research projects. Any individual or research team may apply for these competitive grants. The typical award granted a single project is $500. However, the selection committee may choose to award funds in excess of this amount to grant proposals they feel are exceptional. Multiple research grants may be awarded in a given year depending on the availability of funding and the discretion of the selection committee.

Research grants will be awarded to an individual(s) who meets the following qualifications:

The individual submitting the proposal must be a SACSA member at the time of the application.

At least one applicant on the proposal must be affiliated with an institution located in the SACSA region (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia) while actively engaged in the proposed research.

The proposed research must advance inquiry related to the field of student affairs and be relevant to the SACSA membership.

Proposals will be evaluated by committee, ranked, and selected based on the following criteria:

Significance of Research: Timeliness of the topic, magnitude of the issue, extent to which the research provides new information or strategies related to student affairs theory/practice.

Alignment with SACSA’s Mission: Relevance of research to the SACSA region and/or SACSA’s membership. Alignment with at least one of SACSA’s core values: inclusiveness, professionalism, collegiality.

Quality of Scholarly Evidence: Strength of the scholarly evidence used to support a need for the research and explain key concepts related to the research.

Quality of Research Design: Strength of proposed data selection, collection, organization, and analysis strategies to answer proposed research question(s). Appropriate use of quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods to carry out the research.

Timeline & Resources: Feasibility that the outlined timeline and resources will be sufficient to carry out the proposed research.

The Research Grant proposal and award process is separate from all other awards. Please visit the Research and Grants page to learn more about the 2018 nomination and award processes.

Grant proposals are due no later than August 16, 2019 at 11:59 p.m. CDT.

Lifetime Honorary Memberships

Lifetime Honorary Memberships shall be presented to long-term members of SACSA who have made notable contributions to SACSA and the College Student Affairs Profession. Criteria are as follows:

Should no longer be eligible for regular membership.

Should have been a regular member for at least seven years.

Should have been actively involved in SACSA by serving in some leadership capacity, either as a committee chair and/or participating in at least one of the SACSA-sponsored professional development activities (i.e., the annual conference, Mid-Managers’ Institute or New Professionals’ Institute) as a coordinator or presenter.